Lastminute.com has dropped Gavin Anderson after just seven months, switching its financial PR account to The Maitland Consultancy - and parted company with marketing director Vijay Solanki.

Maitland’s win comes in the wake of former GA CEO Neil Bennett’s move to the financial PR agency as managing partner. But Lastminute.com corporate comms manager Lucy Dare claimed the switch was unrelated to Bennett’s move, saying the account would be led by Maitland consultant Brian Hudspith.

Bennett, who led the lastminute.com account at GA, is working out his period following his resignation in May.

Dare said the switch to Maitland was because the company had ‘come on another level’ since appointing GA at the beginning of the year through recent acquisitions including Online Travel Company in March, First Option in January and Med Hotels in December.